43. Diary

Thud!
The apartment door made a sound, which then continued to echo.
As a living jinx who lived alone, only three kinds of people typically came looking for Li Nuo around dusk.
Auntie Wang from upstairs, the young ladies next door, and the police from downstairs.
Auntie Wang was a regular auntie who had watched Li Nuo grow up and owned five three-bedroom apartments in the city center. As a property management staff member, she would occasionally drop by to check if Li Nuo had died inside his home.
Then there was the group of freelancers living next door who provided emotional solace. Many years ago, such residential cluster-based creatures were called "sing-song birds," and nowadays they were called live streamers.
Sometimes, when they got drunk, they would bang on Li Nuo's door for the sake of streaming content. At this point, the usual plot should probably be racing wildly down the path of persuading fallen women to return to a virtuous life.
However, a certain act of retaliation by Li Nuo had caused those fellows to currently search everywhere for housing, desperately trying to move away from here.
As for the police...
He had formed a bond with the local police substation once when he was testing a homemade Molotov cocktail and fragmented explosion-ninjutsu-style detonating mines.
Later, a few community police officers accidentally discovered that Li Nuo possessed an uncanny ability to fathom the minds of criminals.
Consequently, ever since then, police officers would constantly observe him.
They believed that when a terminally ill patient who could read a criminal's psychology reached his final radiance before death, it would also be the moment his antisocial personality awakened.
Hilariously, the meaningless mutual surveillance warfare with the community police officers had effectively honed Li Nuo's counter-reconnaissance skills...
If all three of the above groups of people were ruled out, then anyone gracing his home with their presence would, in all probability, be either a bad person or not human at all.
As someone who loved pre-combat preparations and suffered from a lack of a sense of security, Li Nuo made a detour to the kitchen to fetch a kitchen knife, and picked up a walking stick in the living room.
He pressed himself against the door.
Seeing through the peephole that it was Auntie Wang, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
Holding the kitchen knife behind his back, he opened the door.
"You child, I knock and knock and you don't even make a peep." Auntie Wang had an easy job at the residential complex's property management office, and her husband was a retired cadre.
The couple had contrasting personalities—one outgoing and one reserved—but they were both good people.
Sometimes the two of them would bring some food over for Li Nuo.
Moreover, ever since Auntie Wang found out that Li Nuo had once gone a whole month eating strictly vegetarian food, the food she brought over mostly contained some meat.
The fact that Li Nuo hadn't starved to death was partly thanks to Auntie Wang.
"Aunty... At least shout out when you knock." Li Nuo secretly placed the kitchen knife on the chest of drawers, and with a smiling face, he noticed the pot next to Auntie Wang's feet.
"Who knocks and shouts at the same time?" Auntie Wang said. "Open the door faster next time. I thought something had happened to you, child."
Li Nuo replied, "What if I were already dead right now?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Auntie Wang suddenly realized a bizarre phenomenon: Li Nuo's complexion was rather rosy...
If she were holding a pot right now, it probably would have dropped to the ground.
From this, it could also be seen that the reason Li Nuo hadn't been beaten to death yet was simply because he lacked social interaction.
"Just joking, I might just be experiencing my final burst of vitality before death." Li Nuo bent down, opened the pot lid, and couldn't help praising as he gazed at the fragrant stewed meat soup: "This relief meal smells amazing. Thanks, Aunty."
Auntie Wang was still somewhat shaken. She calmed down a bit and said, "Xiao Nuo, you need to learn to be serious. Once you recover from your illness, you'll still need to find a job. The premise of living a good life is establishing sound principles of human conduct."
"Understood." Li Nuo dragged the pot of meat soup into the room.
Auntie Wang helped him carry the soup inside, laughing as she asked, "You stinky brat, what principles do you have?"
Li Nuo replied without missing a beat, "Gluttony, cowardice, and fear of death."
"Stop spouting nonsense!" Auntie Wang placed the pot on the table inside for him, lit a stick of incense for his mother, and before leaving, pulled a few candles out of her pocket, saying, "Right, our building is having a power outage today, so I prepared some candles for you."
Li Nuo hesitated for a few seconds: "I have candles. You and Uncle should keep these for yourselves at night."
Auntie Wang raised her hand in a mock-hitting gesture, then half-angrily shoved the candles into Li Nuo's hands, saying, "I'm going to smack you, you little brat! Just take them!"
After seeing Auntie Wang off, Li Nuo boiled a bowl of noodles, poured the meat soup over them, and ate them with garlic to fill his stomach first.
Actually, he could have spent 20 gold coins in the Endless Corridor's mall to buy some food to stave off his hunger, but he was a weird person whose focus was most of the time different from other people's.
Take the power outage right now, for instance.
On a lonely, dark, and cold night, he could totally go into the "Endless Corridor" and chat with 2B for another two hours.
Yet he didn't choose to do something many men dreamed of; instead, he chose to light candles in the dark, and took out pen and paper.
...Diary...
April 2nd, Sunny, Power Outage.
Since Auntie Wang said I'm not serious, I've decided to keep a diary.
Today I received a doll, made friends with a fat guy, and picked up a turd along the way.
Today was a bit tiring, mentally exhausted.
I'm very sleepy right now, but the people next door are practically about to punch a hole through the wall, making it utterly impossible for me to sleep. I need to find a way to stop these live streamers from disturbing the peace.
Work Record: Drew five pages of drafts.
April 3rd, Sunny.
Early this morning, a lot of police officers came. Upon investigation, a group of live streamers had mistaken chili oil for glycerin enema due to the power outage, resulting in an accidental mishap.
The smell when I opened the door was truly indescribable.
If I had known, I wouldn't have used the chili oil.
In addition, I heard those live streamers are considering moving. I handed some videos over to the police and helped them move.
Work Record: Drew sixteen pages of drafts.
April 6th, Sunny/Overcast.
I discovered that I cannot write anything related to the "Endless Corridor" in the real world, so I am continuing my diary in the spatial domain using a pen and notebook pilfered from the resistance forces.
Today 2B and I drew our random cards.
She got a pair of riding boots and a shawl, carrying a rather wasteland-esque vibe.
I got a shovel and a lump of turd. I don't understand why I managed to draw a lump of turd.
I transferred the turd piece to Malge, and he returned two turd pieces to me at lightning speed.
Lastly, 2B started teaching me hand-to-hand combat today.
It hurts so much.
Work Record: Finished drawing drafts.
April 7th, Light Rain.
It hurts so much.
April 8th, Heavy Rain.
It hurts so much.
April 9th, My house got flooded... Chapter skipped today.
April 10th, Sunny.
2B has been a bit bored lately, so I decided to teach her the [Focusing Practitioner] second-year-middle-school dialogue course. To this end, I spent an entire night scouring the internet for 3,000 eighth-grader syndrome quotes.
I somehow feel she is in her best state when she says, "Why are you so used to this?"
Work Record: Started inking the manga.
April 11th, Sunny.
It hurts so much.
April 12th, Sunny.
2B asked me today: "Is there any other difference between me and human beings?"
Not knowing how to answer, I spent 10 gold coins in the mall to buy her the lowest-quality scale, with a weight capacity of 200 catties.
The scale broke.
I originally planned to buy her a toilet bowl today, but after searching the entire spatial domain, I saw no signs of casual defecation. I had an epiphany.
2B's excretion system is still mechanically manufactured; she doesn't need to visit the restroom for the time being.
This woman is simply an angel.
But I also feel sorrow for her; she cannot experience the tender warmth of a flush toilet cleaning her perineum.
It hurts so much.
April 13th, Sunny.
I went to the spatial domain to finish writing my diary and then ran away. 2B was helpless.
No pain today.
Work Record: Inking in progress.
April 16th, Light Rain.
Today I finally mastered [Basic Joint Locks]. This physical combat skill requires a boost from [Melee Combat]. 2B said the next step is to teach me advanced brawling techniques.
I feel like 2B is a treasure chest, with endless treasures hidden inside her body.
Furthermore, I discovered that 2B has abdominal muscles...
Through my observation, the formation of muscle contours is related to the attribute bonus of [Physique].
Physique is somewhat like the internal energy in martial arts novels; it is the foundation supporting strength and mobility.
Simply put, if your strength value is too high while your physique is too low, the consequence is very likely that your body cannot bear it, leading to physical collapse.
Thinking about it this way, getting "played to pieces" must be due to having a poor physique.
However, having a high physique and low strength is harmless.
Additionally, personal testing today proved that physique indeed makes bones harder and endurance better.
Work Record: Already drew two weeks' worth of content.
April 17th, Sunny.
Yesterday I mailed the completed drafts to the editorial department.
My editor thought I was dead and my account had been hacked; they actually called the police... I was just being occasionally diligent, was all that necessary?
Started learning [Unrestricted Fighting] today.
Holy crap... It hurts too much.
April 20th, Light Rain.
Received my writing royalties today, 200 yuan.
I wonder if anyone would want someone like me if I stood on the street corner?
The power went out again at night, and I kept feeling like someone outside the window was watching me... I can't help wondering, are there really ghosts in the Cairo world?
It hurts so much.
April 21st, Heavy Rain.
It hurts so much.
April 22nd, Sunny.
2B's system calculation only ended today.
I must say, as expected of a protagonist, because she was subdued by me in the "Final Fantasy" world, the system bestowed upon her a magic skill: [Junior Fireball].
However, the most important thing is that the system opened up a new policy, stating that 2B can change her name.
Ah... this is simply wonderful.
I was just worrying that the name on her stat panel would expose her identity. However, naming her is neither up to me nor her; instead, the system randomly draws a name for her every day until she gets one she's satisfied with.
The name drawn today is Tifa Lockhart.
It hurts so much.
April 23rd, Light Rain.
The name drawn today is Goro Daimon.
I suggested she use this name.
She did not agree.
April 24th, Heavy Rain.
When I went out to buy a wrap, I saw an abandoned dog. The little guy looked a lot like a Husky, but didn't quite seem like one either. One of its eyes had been glued shut with adhesive. After I helped pry it open, I gave all the meat from my wrap to it, and then dropped it off at the stray pet foster center.
I can't even feed myself, so I shouldn't go ruining other creatures' lives.
But for some reason, I always feel like it is so much like me.
Anyway, I suppose I saved it; hopefully, it will show great discernment in its next life and transform into a dog-spirit to repay the kindness of my meal.
At night, Auntie Wang rushed over to tell me to lock my doors and windows tightly. Last night, a wolf accompanied by its cubs had escaped from the nearby Cairo Zoo.
I hurriedly called the police...
April 26th, Overcast.
I discovered that 2B has back muscles too; I wonder if she'll be able to unlock the demon back in the future.
In the evening, my attending physician, Dr. Xu, called to say he would come to check on me one of these days. He's probably worried something might happen to me... Actually, I'm quite grateful to him.
The name drawn today is Zhang Cuifen.
It hurts so much.
Learned [Unrestricted Fighting].
April 27th, Sunny.
Dr. Xu couldn't make it today; he said he will definitely come the day after tomorrow.
The name drawn today is Chaba.
2B said she liked this name. I feel like either her aesthetic sense or her IQ has malfunctioned.
April 28th, Light Rain.
The editorial department sent congratulatory messages; my manga is getting serialized across all online channels. I guess they want to wait until I'm dead to use my works for promotion, since most literary works require the author to kick the bucket first before becoming a piece of art. Ha, dream on! I am extremely durable and long-lived!
However, to rid myself of poverty as soon as possible, I've decided to start acting like a serious person from today onwards.
April 29th, Sunny.
Decided to burn the diary today.
2B taught me [Step-back].
Also, she intends to just go by the name "Chaba."
...
After burning the diary, Li Nuo logged out of the "Endless Corridor."
When he returned to the house, it was already 6:00 PM. Thinking that Dr. Xu was coming over today, he planned to cook a few dishes to treat him.
By the time he finished cooking, it was already dark.
Not long after he stepped out of the kitchen, the landline telephone in the living room started ringing.
Li Nuo picked up the phone, and Dr. Xu's voice came from the other end, but at that exact moment, the system's voice chimed in:
[Real-world plot mission triggered: Pixel Hospital Horror Legend]